The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced the Grand Jury Award winners and Special Mentions for AFI FEST 2024 (fest.afi.com) presented by Canva. The Grand Jury Award winners for Live Action Short, Documentary Short and Animated Short will be eligible for the 2024 Best Live Action Short, Best Documentary Short and Best Animated Short Academy Awards.
The festival lineup included six Red Carpet Premieres, 13 Special Screenings, 13 Luminaries selections, 15 Discovery films, 12 World Cinema selections, 14 Documentaries, four After Dark titles, 54 films in the Short Film Competition and 28 films from the AFI Conservatory Showcase presented by AMC Networks. Of the official selections, 48% were directed by women and non-binary filmmakers and 26% were directed by BIPOC filmmakers; the program represented 44 countries. There were four World Premieres, six North American Premieres and seven U.S. Premieres. The festival also presented two special events: Directors Spotlight: Robert Zemeckis in Conversation with Tom Hanks and Pitch Perfect: Crafting Impactful Visual Decks from a Storyteller’s Perspective. This year’s festival welcomed a record number of attendees with ticket and pass sales reaching 30% higher than the previous year.
The Oscar-qualifying Grand Jury Prize for Animated Short was awarded to Humantis by Paris Baillie (U.S.) The stop-motion film, which was selected for Annecy earlier this year, taps into the director’s studio arts background to transport viewers into the hand-craft, surreally beautiful world of the “Humantises.” These creatures are masters of deception, but can they hid from change? When one Humantis unexpectedly goes through a physical transformation, it struggles to adapt and grow into its new self.
“Humantis is a stunning work of art that delves into the complexities and challenges of change and the unexpected beauty that emerges from self-transformation and acceptance. The stop motion breathes new life into an otherworldly visual narrative, showcasing the depths of a vibrant imagination and skillful craftsmanship,” the Jury wrote.
The jury also awarded a Special Mention for Craft to the hand-drawn animated short Silent Panorama by Nicolas Piret (Belgium). The five-minute, dialog-free short was meticulously sketched onto a single piece of paper as a performance, and follows as two campers at the foot of a cliff in the Ardennes venture out into the deserted landscape to discover the sources of strange noises in the dark.
Per the festival statement: “The jury would like to acknowledge Silent Panorama with a special mention for artistic craftsmanship as this subtle and immersive story comes to life beautifully and meticulously on a single sheet of paper.”
AFI FEST also awarded Oscar-qualifying prizes to the Live-Action Short Two People Exchanging Saliva by Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh (Special Mention for Freedom and Expression to A Short Film about Kids by Ibrahim Handal) and the Documentary Short Land of Lost Toys by Nicholas Stachurski (Special Mention for New Voice to You’re Too Sensitive by Dan Chen).
This year’s jury comprised Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison, film programmer Nora Bernard and comedian, actor, filmmaker, podcaster and author Paul Scheer.
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